Showing posts with label yoga. Show all posts
Showing posts with label yoga. Show all posts

Sunday, March 29, 2009

A Healing Journey






















Recently in our Get Up Girl nine week coaching program we focused on the powerful tool of listening to ourselves. There are many ways to practice listening. We encourage listening to ourselves through our bodies, emotions, minds and spirits (intuition, inner wisdom, etc.). All of these aspects of ourselves offer great insight and useful information for understanding what is true for us and how to best support ourselves.


Our Get Up Girl Grad, Yoga Fitness Expert and Co-owner of The Yogi Tree, Crystal D'Angora, shares her beautiful story about how she healed her body by listening to herself, and honoring the guidance she received within.



I have been meditating on healing a lot this week and trust that whatever is showing up in our bodies right now is a true reflection of our preparation for the Big Shift. I absolutely believe that the body is our best adviser and when it hurts it's time for change. When we embrace challenge as a chance to stop and listen, we can begin to heal! I can speak from experience with my own healing journey, and know how the external voices can sometimes cloud the inner needs.


When I cracked my rib a few months ago, my doctor said that it would be six months before it would heal/stop hurting,or that I should keep movement to a minimum. I did take a break from my busy-ness and traveled within, asking what was needed. This meant saying, "no" to a few things and relaxing more than is my usual pattern. I did not however, let my Doctor's voice drown out my own, and listened to my body when it told me to breath deeper to heal my rib, and gradually re-incorporated dance and movement as it felt good.


Within one month I hardly felt the pain as I twisted and stretched, and two months later my body feels as if it never happened.
This is why I love Yoga, Meditation, and Acupuncture; they teach us how to heal ourselves, listen with patience, and trust the messages within. I believe that whatever our bodies need to release will often manifest as discomfort, but once we tune into the underlying messages, we become freer, healthier and more energized!

On the journey to self-healing, please remember how powerful your thoughts and language are in the healing process. We must tell ourselves (and believe) that we are exactly as we should be, and constantly improving with awareness.


Crystal D'Angora
is a Yoga and Pilates Instructor, and Co-Founder of The Yogi Tree in Toluca Lake. TheYogiTree.comCrystalyogaandpilates.com

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Friday, January 9, 2009

Eyes Closed and Heart Open





























Crystal DAngora, a yoga and pilates instructor, has a message to share with her fellow Get Up Girl's on self-love. Thank you for your insightful contribution Crystal.


The only effective way to make a meaningful commitment to life and habit changes in the New Year is from the perspective of self-love, not self- deprivation and abuse.  I'm a Yoga and Pilates teacher/studio owner in Toluca Lake and, even with health and exercise as my career path, I find myself at times tripping down the post-Holiday guilt path.  


I have the good fortune each day, however, of learning from my wonderful students.  With every reminder I give to "breath deep and focus on [their] incredible improvements," I get to remind myself as well.   The time we waste beating ourselves up for slipping around the Holidays makes us feel powerless and puts attention on what we don't want.  Alternately, when we listen to our body's need for rest and exercise from a place of appreciation for where we are today, we feel and look better and have more energy.  No list of promises or guilt required, just an extra moment with eyes closed and heart open to tune-in.  Happy New Year!

 -Crystal DAngora  Crystal Yoga and Pilates

 

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